


Kirby's Adventures in Dream Land

by Gigilefache



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Kirby (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Updates are irregular, and I apologize for any misspellings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:33:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27463477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gigilefache/pseuds/Gigilefache
Summary: Alright, lets begin. A bright star crashes down onto Popstar's surface in the small country of Dream Land. The pink puff, Kirby sets out on their first adventures, as they triumph over monstrous obstacles with their famous copy ability, make new friends, and uncover government food scandals possibly tied to evil dream wizardry? This tale is a retelling of a few of Kirby's first adventures, including but not limited to: Spring Breeze, Gourmet Race, Nightmare in Dream Land, and a bit of the anime. All characters are property of Nintendo and Hal Laboratories.
Relationships: there are many friendships and parental relationships
Comments: 16
Kudos: 18





	1. A Falling Star

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second attempt at a fic like this. I do not know how frequently I will update, and there is no guarantee that I will finish this story. However I hope you enjoy what I have, even if there are a couple of spelling errors.

Have you ever seen a falling star, dear reader? They're quite pretty. A sign of movement across a vast emptiness only felt by those who dare to seek it.

Do you ever think of all the places they see? All the planets they've visited. The many other stars that have been passed with gracefully swift hellos and goodbyes.

Do you ever think of where they came from? It's usually not important, at least not to the stars. They may not know where they're from, where they're going, or even why. All they know is what the vast universe looks like, and how grand it really is. Even then they'll never see it all.

Do you ever think of how a star falls? Gracefully perhaps? Piercing the atmosphere like a sewing needle to a delicately crafted embroidery.

On the underside, what does a star pass? does it pass forests with talking trees? Oceans with orange luminescence? Towering mountains that pierce the heavens themselves? Fountains that sparkle like a spring dream. Castles that watch over small villages, acting as a strong force over which it lies.

Does a star land on delicate grass? Does it land peacefully on a flower bed of roses, begonias, tulips, and daffodils? Does a butterfly land on it's soft head, welcoming it with fluttering kisses that say welcome home?

Or does it, perhaps... CRASH!


	2. The Star of the Show has Arrived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The falling star from the prologue has crashed smack dab in the middle of Dream Land. Everyone has gathered from the five corners of Popstar to bear whiteness to the star. What mysteries could this star hold? What is it's true nature? Why is it bright in the middle of the day? Find out on this episode of Dragon Ball- oh no wait wrong series.

"BREAKING NEWS FLASH!" A small waddle dee with a bowtie yelled into his microphone.

"Someone must have wished a little to hard last night, because a big shooting star has crash landed smack dab in the middle of Dream Land!"

The News reporter excitedly pointed to a humongous crowd behind him. About as large as a half of a football stadium. Cappies, Waddle Dees, Noddys, Bronto Burts, Scarfys that wouldn't leave the boom operator alone. Just about every person from every corner of Dream Land, nay, the entirety of Popstar, showed up to this event. And those that couldn't, watched the news for it.

"In the center of that large mass lies one of the biggest craters ever witnessed on this planet, and in the center of that creator lies the star that fell last night!" The reporter turned to another dee signaling him.

"Oh! My assistant has just refilled the tank for the Waddle Buggy!" The reporter turned back towards the camera. "So now we will be able to get you an up close view of the star. And only on Channel PPP! How about that for good coverage?"

The Reporter Dee, Camera Dee, Microphone Dee, and Assistant Dee, all hopped into the buggy and rammed through the crowd of onlookers to get that exclusive close up shot.

However, when the crew reached the edge of the crater, it was apparent how tricky it would be to get the shot they wanted. The absolute massive size of the crater stunned even the news.

It was still sizzling. The dirt and desecrated greenery was still burning from the impact. Grass and flowers were flung from their situated soil and scattered across the scarred ground. There weren't even any bugs, just one lone red butterfly or two. The only other beings on the scene were those surrounding the crater, and the glowing yellow star that nested snuggly in it's center.

The tired Camera Dee slowly raised their camera to get a shot in the loud yet gentle breeze. The Microphone Dee and Reporter Dee inched closer as did the rest of the crowd. The Assistant Dee drove only a few millimeters closer, slowly as not to disturb a single blade of grass when getting that good angle.

BEEP BEEP!

Another vehicle zoomed by, pushing knocking the news crew off balance, as well as many other onlookers into the crater.

The vehicle was fancy, truly fit for royalty. It was a topless limousine, with gold craft on the front and wheels.

The fancy limo drove straight into the heart of the crater, but not so close as to disturb the star and awaken a monster or something. That would be just awful.

Especially since his royal majesty, King Dedede, was the one in the limo. Alongside his best friend, prime secretary, and mollusk, Escargoon.

The two hopped out of the vehicle to examine the star in it's resting place.

"Oh I hope this is my wish for those parts I'm making for my hammer!"

The king giddily pulled a large wooden hammer from his regal red robe. 

"I've been trying to upgrade this puppy for moths!"

Before Dedede could approach the star, he was stopped by Escargoon's hand.

"Careful sire," he said, "we don't know what this thing is. And by the looks of it, I don't think it's a gift package from NME."

"Hmm. I guess your right." King Dedede sounded disappointed. "Just what is this thing anyway?"

"I don't know," said Escargoon, "but the ground is still hot and the thing is still glowing. It might be dangerous."

Just then the two heard rustling, not from the star, but from the limo behind them.

Escargoon went to go open the rumbling trunk, only to find the cabinet minister's daughter, Tiff, and a blue bandana clad waddle dee hiding within.

"JUST WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING IN HERE?" The snail shouted angrily.

King Dedede waddled on over to the vehicle.

"HOW LONG WERE Y'ALL IN THERE FOR? WHO SAID YOU COULD RIDE IN THE BACK? GET OUTA THERE?"

The king shooed off the children with his swinging hammer. Both of them jumped out, but only the bandana wearing Dee had apologized.

"I'm so sorry Great King! Tiff and I were talking and her parents said that it was to dangerous for her to be here and my moms said it was to dangerous for me and that I would get hurt but we both wanted to see the star and I'm so sorry Kreat King please forgive us-"

"Alright alright!" King Dedede put his large mitt on top of the Waddle Dee's  
head. The bandana Dee wiggled his nubs around.

"You're good. But never get in my car again! This things expensive, I paid a lot of money for this! And keeping the inside clean is an extra chore I don't like paying for either!"

The bandana Dee sniffled and looked at the king with watery eyes.

"Th-Thank you Gr-Gr-Great King." King Dedede stared awkwardly at the little Dee for a minute until Tiff called from beside the star.

"So what do you think this thing is?"

The rest of them rushed over. Escargoon tried to pull Tiff away but that didn't work.

"Its probably some small ball of burning gas like most stars, and we should defiantly NOT touch it. Nobody feels like getting a lecture from your parents about how we got you hurt!"

"Yeah!" The king barked. "What are we gonna do if that thing incinerates yall?"

"Yeah Tiff," said the Dee, "it's probably best if we just look at it-"

"Come on Bandee you wanted to see it to. That's why we rode here in Dedede's trunk."

"Yeah, but I still don't wanna get burned."

Tiff was annoyed. Her best friend was great and all but he would take Dedede's side in a heartbeat. No matter what. Even in when they both knew when the king was in the wrong.  
She decided right then and there that she was going to lift the star from its place. Despite the crater's size, it wasn't big, and she could probably lift it up with ease.

"You guys are being to paranoid." She gave the boys a sighed-eyed glance and reached for the star.

It moved.

Not the star. No, it didn't seem like that was what was moving. That would be normal. It was what was under it that caused movement. Whatever was under it moved like a hatching bird trying to escape it's egg.

King Dedede, Bandee, Escargoon, and the news crew, all got over their shyness and comfortable with their curiosity. They all quickly huddled over to the bright star, not knowing what awaited them. They all looked at each other before Tiff finally flipped it over. What happened next they did not expect to see. It was a ball. A pink ball. A bright, puffy, pink ball, poked out from within the dirt and under the star.

Tiff was excited. "Bandee, help me pull this thing out!"

"Are you sure we should do that-"

"Bandee!"

"Alright alright ok."

The two children grabbed the ball and yanked it up with all of their might. With one last tug it went flying into the air, but it didn't fall back down. Instead, the pink puffball gently floated downwards like a piece of paper, patting lightly against the ground. It had opened its eyes for the first time, and gazed at the vast world around them.

Everyone was watching. Everyone had witnessed this small pink alien open it's galaxy blue eyes. Something about them was just so mesmerizing. So interesting and intriguing. So very...

"Cute!" Tiff held her hands to her face in absolute awe.

"It's so tiny!" Stated Bandee.

"Wow! What an interesting little guy!" Announced the reporter.

"It looks safe enough." Said Escargoon.

The crowd behind them had cooed at the pink orb before them. Even King Dedede was almost moved to tears.

"This little guy ain't scary! He's adorable!"

The king picked up the little puffball and started to shake them with glee.

"Who's a lil cutie thing? It's you! Yes it's you! Your a little puffy fella ain't ya? Little puffy friendly fella! Little friend shaped fella! Hah hah!"

Tiff interrupted the kings coddling. "Dedede stop it your gonna hurt them if you shake them like that."

"I ain't hurting em! Right little fella?"

The puff's eyes were spinning and they looked so dizzy they could probably see the stars in their own irises.

"See he's fine."

Tiff took the puffball away from the king's arms. She was very kind with the alien. A far contrast to King Dedede's enthusiastic intrigue.

"Hey little guy. What's your name?"

"N-name?" They spoke it a tone akin to a baby speaking for the first time.

"Yeah!" Tiff lit up. "You're name."

Name? They cocked their head to the side for they did not know. They seemed young. Almost like a toddler.

"What's your name? My name is Tiff. This is Bandee, Escargoon, and Dedede." She motioned to all of the people beside her.

"What's your name?"

"It probably doesn't understand our language." Stated Escargoon.

"You think so?" Asked Tiff, a little saddened at the idea.

"If he doesn't have a name, we should probably give them one." Bandee perked up.

"Ooh what about Mochi? He looks lime a little ice cream ball." Offered King Dedede.

"Comet might be a fitting name for them. Maru, perhaps?" Escargoon insisted.

Maru sounds nice. But its a little on the nose. I'm thinking Popo." Tiff said.

"What about Kirby?" Bandee said. "Or does that sound too much like a law student's name?"

"Ki-Ki-Kaby. Kaiby. Kirby!" The puff tried to mimic Bandee's words.

"Kirby? Your name is Kirby?" Asked Tiff.

The puff had no idea what was going on but they liked the name Kirby. So they nodded and giggled.

"Kirby it is then!" Bandee said cheerfully.

"Well then, Kirby," Tiff picked up the puff, "welcome to Dream Land!"

Just then King Dedede swiped Kirby from Tiff's arms and held them up like Simba from The Lion King.

"Hey everybody, look at this guy! His name's Kirby!"

The large crowd cheered with welcoming glee. A cute alien crash-lands on planet Popstar in a star and their name is Kirby. Could the day get anymore exciting?

Escargoon pulled a set of keys out of his shell.

"Well now that his Majesty has taken a liking to Kirby, I don't doubt that he'll want to take him back to the castle for a feast."

"OH! A feast! How fun!" Bandee jumped and clapped his paws. "The king always has great feasts!"

"What makes you think you're going?" Escargoon snapped.

"O...Oh." Bandee's excitement faded to a disappointment he should have seen coming.

"Tiff your parents are probably worried about you." Escargoon stated. "You can ride backseat, just don't get the floor dirty."

"That's ok. I'm not going back. Me and Bandee are going to the library."

"Oh well." The slug shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Escargoon and King Dedede hopped into the limo, Dedede still holding onto Kirby like a kid at a carnival who just won the biggest stuffed bear, except the sizes were switched. The limo drove off and the crowd followed soon after it, everyone chatting about the wonder they had witnessed.

"He's so cute isn't he?"

"I could use an assistant. Do you think they would like a job as a fortune teller?"

"We should make them a nice little basket of goodies."

"Yeah that ball's good and all but I got a better one that lets me do tricks!"

"Nobody likes your tricks Marx."

Tiff and Bandee followed the crowd and away towards the library.

"Wow what an eventful day folks! It seems our visitor is quite the cutie pie if I do say so myself." The reporter Dee adjusted his bowtie. "I'd say he was the real star of this show.

"Well that's all for now." He stated. "Time to head back to the studio and give you weather and traffic reports that will make your eyes roll all the way around your head. Only on Chanel PPP!"

The News Crew made a cut and headed out in the Waddle Buggy.

Was that the last of it?

Not yet.

The star still lay in the dirt. After Tiff had turned it over, it lay so unnoticed in the event of Kirby's reveal. That nobody noticed it had shrunk down to the size of a quarter.

A shadow cast over the tiny star.


	3. New Friends and New Experiences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Best friends Tiff and Bandee try to find out the what, where, and how of Kirby's origins. Scouring through all those scholarly books can be a chore though-trust me I'm writing this while also writing a senior thesis-and coming up empty handed after all that searching can lead to disappointment. However, when the two friends bump into an unexpected surprise, they are taken to exciting heights, alongside a new friend.

"What exactly are we here for again?" Bandee asked with a hefty load of books in his paws.

"We are here-WOooOAaaH" Tiff caught a falling book in one hand while balancing on a ladder.

"We're here to see if we can find anything on where Kirby came from."

"How are we gonna do that?" Bandee scratched his head, trying not to drop the tower of books in his hands. "I mean... it's not like Popstar is super experienced with interplanetary communications."

"That's why we specifically got books from astronomers, astrobiologists, and astrophysicists."

"Physics books? ugh. That sound fun." Both kids laughed and rolled their eyes..

"Well Kirby traveled some distance through space and survived. We need to see the barriers of how far they could travel without suffocating in space."

"That is logical."

"Yeah." Tiff hopped down from the ladder and pointed towards a table with a computer.

"Let's go sit over there. I'll pull up some of NME's public space records and you can start on one of those books."

"Yes ma'am."

The two friends sat quietly for a few hours. Flipping, clicking, and going through every resource they could find, yet nothing seemed to have any lead. Even after they had taken out every book and littered the hardwood with hardback.

"You know," said Bandee, "that star Kirby came in must have a lot of power to cause such a big crash like that. Boy that crater was huge, wasn't it?"

"Ill say.."

Tiff gasped.

"The star!"

"yeah the bright yellow star Kirby came in."

"Bandee that star could be a key to figuring out where Kirby comes from." Tiff squished and shook the Dee's face. "We have to go back and get it!"

"B-but what about all of this?" Bandee motioned to the mountain of an informational mess they had made.

"We'll take it with us. I jotted down the websites we've looked at so we can continue the search later."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" he pumped his tiny fist in the air. "Lets go!" 

After renting their many records, the two children ran as fast as their stubby feet could carry them while carrying the bunches of books. Which is to say, not that far. They couldn't even see where they were going, and because they couldn't see where they were going...

THUD!

They crashed right into a poor waddle dee. Just minding their own business. Books flew up in the air and littered the ground. The pages came crashing to the ground like a comet, encasing the three children in tombs of literature. Everyone squirmed around to find the surface of the mess.

"Ouch!" Cried the unsuspecting waddle dee.

"Oh my gosh! We're so sorry!" Bandee went into the same anxious state he was in when they found Tiff and him in King Dedede's limo, except now it was more muffled. He shook off the pile and helped the other two.

Tiff removed the book from her face.

"Sorry about that, it's tough trying to see where your going when all you can see is hardback and paper. Heh heh."

"It's ok. I get that." Said the shy Dee.

The waddle dee didn't seem to mind the accident. They seemed pretty understanding.

"One time I caught a large catfish while out doing some field work. Tripping with a catch as big as that causes quite a mess." They giggled at the memory.

They were a sailor. If the catfish story didn't give it away then the hat definitely did. It was a white hat with a blue ribbon tied around the brim.

"Here, let me help you with this stuff. I'm Sailor by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Sailor."

"Yeah! Nice to meet you, Sailor."

The sailor helped Bandee and Tiff pile the large tower of books again. 

"I have a couple of carrying cases you could put these into. They're back on my ship by the dock. I'm headed there anyway."

"How far is it?" Asked Bandee.

"Its about 20 minutes. Sorry."

"That's ok," stated Tiff, "it's only 20 minutes." Even though she knew with the pile it looked more like 20 hours.

Just then Bandee noticed something sparkly on the ground.

"Hey," he put his pile of books down. "What's this?"

Bandee picked up the small, sparkly yellow glow. It was a star. To Bandee It looked like the star from the crash, just smaller.  
"Let me see that." Said Tiff.

It's small glow set off a big curiosity in Tiff.

"Oh that?" Sailor Dee quickly took back the star. "I found it at the crash site."

"But the only star in the crater was..." Tiff started, following a united gasp from her and Bandee.

"Kirby's star!"

"But if that's Kirby's star, then how did it get so small?" Pondered Bandee.

"I don't know." Sailor responded, still holding onto the itty bitty star. "I just found it like this."

"That's so weird..." Tiff reached out to touch the star. If you listened oh so closely, you could hear the sound of little wind chimes.

All of a sudden the star grew huge. At least three times the children's sizes. Everyone jumped backwards.

"Wh-wh-WHAT?"

"How did it do that?"

"That's so strange."

And then like magnets to metal, the books suddenly clung to the star. Tiff and Bandee tried to hold the books back from being pulled in, but it didn't work. Bandee wouldn't let go of one of the books and ended up stuck to the star.

"Uh guys..." Bandee looked to his friends worried "A little help?"

The other two reached for him, but he was stuck on like glue.

"He's not coming off, Tiff."

"Let go of the book Bandee."

"I'm trying to it won't let mEEEEEEE!"

Suddenly the star sprung upwards in a burst of energy, carrying with it the books, papers, and children. They all screamed as they were thrust for a fast ride in the sky. The star warped and waved at what seemed like light speed and did all sorts of tricks but it was literally the scariest thing. Soon enough they were above the water and past the docks.

Bandee turned to a small sailboat with Sailor's color motif.

"HEY IS THAT YOUR BOAT? DOWN THERE ON THE DOCKS? THE BLUE AND WHITE ONE WITH THE ANCHOR SYMBOL?"

"YEAH THAT ONES MINE!"

"IT LOOKS NICE!"

"THANK YOU!"

"GUYS I DONT MEAN TO INTERUPPT THE CONVERSATION," Tiff exclaimed, BUT WERE ABOUT TO CRASH INTO DEDEDE'S CASTLE!"

Indeed they were. For just up ahead there was Mt. Dedede, and King Dedede's strong castle. The warping star didn't show any signs of stopping, and if the kids didn't take control soon they knew they were going to become wall art. Not wanting to die like that. Sailor pulled themselves up to the head of the star and attempted to control it's direction by pulling it. With enough time, just before they hit a wall, the star finally gave in and flew upwards.

"THAT WAS AMAZING," exclaimed Tiff, "HOW DID YOU DO THAT?"

"I HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH STUFF LIKE THIS!" Sailor turned to the other two, their face determined.

"HOLD ON TIGHT! IM GONNA TRY AND LAND IT!"

Both Tiff and Bandee shouted "WHAT" in unison before screaming in fear as Sailor drifted the star to the side.

The absolute speedy monstrosity was tamed. And in enough time, Sailor was able to turn their direction downwards, only to slam the non-existent breaks on the star. Right at Castle Dedede's doorstep. The star, in it's seemingly minimal sentience, shook off it's passengers and cargo. Everything and everyone fell in a thud.

"Well that's one way to get around." Said Tiff, exhausted as could be with a messy demeanor.

"That was amazing and incredibly scary!" Bandee directed his exclaims towards Sailor. "You were a pro."

"He he. Thanks!" Sailor blushed. "Next time I'll try surfing on it."

"That sounds like dangerous amounts of fun. Maybe I'll join you if you bring helmets." Stated Tiff.

"Yeah! We can call it 'Air ride races,'" Bandee exclaimed and waved his hand through the air. "Where you fly through the air on warping stars like these."

"Speaking of warping," Tiff interrupted, "this thing warped itself in more ways than one."

"Yeah. It grew and shrank. Then it flung us through the air at lightning speeds." Sailor exclaimed.

"I think it's only fair that we call it 'the warpstar' then. What do you guys think?" Tiff asked.

Everyone nodded in agreement that it was the perfect name. And when they settled on a name, the warpstar warped back into a tiny state. Tiff picked up the star and put it in her pocket.

"Well. I might as well take this to Kirby since it belongs to them. Do you think they'll be excited to see it?"

"Probably," responded Bandee. "It does belong to them."

"Hey sis!" Tiff's little brother Tuff came running out of the castle.

"Did you see Kirby? I saw Kirby! He's like a soccer ball but pink! And he's squishy too! Do you think he'll wanna play with me later?"

"I take it you saw Kirby." She stated.

"That's what I just said!" Tuff flailed his arms in excitement. "King Dedede is gonna have a big feast soon to celebrate Kirby's arrival. Mom and Dad are gonna be there to c'mon!"

Tuff pulled his sister by the arm.

"Well I better get going. I'll see you guys later."

"Sounds good."

"Have fun!"

"Will do. I am kind of hungry."

The siblings left for the dining area. Where everyone else would await them.

"Why aren't you going with them, Bandee?"

"Who? Me?" The dee pointed to himself as if there was anyone else around to be asked such a question.

"Yes you silly. Aren't you going with them?"

"I'm not allowed. I'm...not important enough." Bandee said with a chuckle. "But that's ok though. One day I'll be popular and important enough to sit with them."

"That's kind of sad." Stated Sailor.

"What?"

"I said it's sad that you think that of yourself. Then again why would you even want to sit near someone like Dedede anyway?"

"Um, because King Dedede is really cool!" Bandee exclaimed. "He drives a cool car, and he's a king, and he has these big parties sometimes where everyone's invited, and wears regal but questionable fashion choices. And he makes really cool mechanic upgrades for his hammer. And he has an NME Direct subscription which takes up the whole throne room! And he has a cool car! And...."

Bandee could never stop raving about how much he thought King Dedede was a great king. Popular, important, cool, all these things Bandee wanted to be, King Dedede was.

"Yeah that's great and all," Sailor started, "but if you ask me he's a bit...I don't know, self centered. I just don't think he's all that."

"What? King Dedede isn't selfish. He cares about the kingdom." 

"The kingdom's opinion of him maybe." Sailor and Bandee chuckled at the remark.

"If anything that's true." Bandee stated.

"Hey its kind of dark out." He looked at the distant setting sun. "Do you want me to walk you back down to your ship? It seems pretty far? I'm going back down that way anyway."

"As long as you're willing to walk 20 minutes down the mountain with all these heavy books."

"Oh jeez, you're right." Bandee looked at the mess the warpstar had left and scratched his head.

The two Dees laughed as they gathered up the books and headed down the long decent down the mountain, away and down from the big Castle doors which always seemed a bit intimidating to Bandee. They stopped by Sailor's boat to put the books in some carrying cases, making the carrying a little easier for both of them. Once they reached Bandee's house, the bandana Dee gave an inquisition to his new friend.

"Hey would you like to come over for dinner? I'm sure my Moms wont mind."

"Bandee, thank you but I can't. I have a meeting I have to call into anyway, and I can't really do that with other people around. I'm sorry."

"Aww. Ok." Bandee sounded a bit disheartened, but understanding. "See you tomorrow then?"

"Yep! See you tomorrow!"

"Bye Sailor, Good luck with your meeting!"

They waved back. "Thank you!"

"Bye!"

"Bye!


	4. A Nice Calm Meal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The denizens of Castle Dedede sit down for a fine feast with their new pink friend, Kirby. What could go wrong?

Kirby sat in a nice little high chair next to the King on a long table. Stained glass windows brought color to the large dining room and displayed a golden peace sign insignia of light on the guests, whos rich auras surrounded the clean bronze table. Kirby was treated like a prince. Not even five minutes on the planet and they were already driven to a castle in a limo, shown around said castle, given multiple edible gifts, and was now going to eat one of the biggest meals they've ever seen in their life.

Besides Kirby and King Dedede, Escargoon, Sir Ebrum, Lady Like, and Captain Doo sat at the table, gawking and observing the puff. The only guests missing were-

"We're here!"

-Tiff and Tuff who just barged into dining area, slamming the doors on their way in.

"I found Tiff."

"None of you are going to believe what happened!"

"Hai!" Kirby waved their stubby arms and reached out giddily to the two siblings.

"I thought you said you weren't coming." Said Escargoon.

"Well I made it didn't I?" Tiff responded.

"Ah hello darling. We just met Kirby. He seems like a polite little man." Lady Like patted the puff and greeted her two children as they sat down.

"Yes yes. Very polite, and very cute." Said Sir Ebrum.

Kirby seemed to like all the comments and praise they were receiving as of late. They made Kirby feel special.

"Tiff you look like you took a tumble down a hill," Lady Like complained, "That's no way to look when you have guests!"

"Calm down mom. Kirby's a baby. I don't think they care that much."

"Still you might want to fix yourself. Maybe get the dirt out of your hair. What happened to you anyway?"

Tiff fixed her hair. "Bandee and I ran into someone-a new friend named Sailor-who picked up this." She held up the tiny warpstar. "It's the star Kirby came in."

"Tiff are you sure that's not a replica?" Her father asked.

"I think you might be blind. That thing is way to small. Like a stone or something." Escargoon sneered, trying not to think about how a silly little toy star would go great in his ring collection.

"It seems very shiny." Captain Doo exclaimed. "That'll look great above a fire place or a holiday tree."

Tiff insisted "No guys! Its the real thing. Watch this!"

Tiff flung the warpstar up in the air. The second it hit the table it transformed to its true, much bigger size. The guests gasped in wonder and astonishment. Kirby giggled with glee. The brightness of the warpstar outshown the natural light coming through the window.

"Well I don't believe it." Said King Dedede. "Its the same star we saw at that crater."

"What else does it do?" Tuff was most intrigued.

"Well I'll show you." Tiff pulled herself and Tuff up on the warpstar. Her parents warned her to be careful, but she knew she would be fine.

"Hold on" She told her brother. 

From corner to corner and ceiling to floor the warpstar zoomed all around. It flew just above the table, inviting another smaller pink passenger on board before it flew high to the ceiling. Kirby twisted and turned the star like a surfer o a boogie board, they flew so high they almost broke the ceiling. They surfed so low they almost took Escargoon's head off, much to his irritation. The star eventually drifted down and skided on the table, coming to a halt in front of King Dedede, scaring him just a little bit as he braced for the star to hit him.

"Ta da!" Tiff and Tuff hopped off of the star, and Kirby hopped back to their seat. The star shrank back into its pocket size, which Tiff took with her. 

"Let me see that!" Escargoon demanded the the warpstar from Tiff, who was insistent on not giving it away. Nonetheless, it was basically snatched from her anyway.

Escargoon fidgeted with the object. "How does it do that? Must be some kind of magic or gravity defying engine of sorts. How did you get this thing to grow?"

"Did y'all pick this up when we weren't looking or somethin." The king questioned with a side eye.

"Well Bandee and I were carrying a bunch of books, and then we bumped into a waddle dee named Sailor who dropped the warpstar. That's what we decided to call it. Then, all the books we dropped clung onto the warpstar, then Bandee got stuck and we couldn't get him off. Then the warpstar took off and flew towards the castle. We almost crashed trying to control it."

"You what?" Lady Like exclaimed in that motherly tone, a sound of fear, anger, and panic rolled into one.

"You could have gotten hurt! Why would you ride such a thing like that?" Sir Ebrum exclaimed.

"We didn't know it was going to do that. It was a good thing Sailor knew how to steer it."

Escargoon scoffed. "I think It would be a good idea if we kept this thing away from the kids. If they don't second guess themselves about the idea of getting into an expensive car with muddy shoes, or flying around the room and almost killing people and scuffing the table, then they shouldn't be able to use the deadly flying warpstar thing or whatever it is." The snail pointed to the scuffed wood Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby carved out of the table. "Just look at this! Now we have to pay a polisher."

Tiff rolled her eyes. "We said we were sorry for the first one."

"We should keep it in a safe place. Like the his majesty's vault." He went into a whisper and then to a snicker. "Or my jewel collection." 

When Escargoon reached for the warpstar he realized that Kirby had taken it and was eating it like a cookie.

"Uh..." King Dedede pointed at Kirby. "Is he supposed to be eatin that?"

"Depends if it's edible. Kids will eat anything." Said Captain Doo.

"I just don't want him to choke." Said Sir Ebrum. 

Captain Doo spoke up as Kirby finished their starry snack. "I think he'll be fine."

The table nodded in agreement. It was probably normal for Kirby to do that anyway. And just when it got a little awkward and everyone got hungry, the door to the dining area swept open with a slam.

"Did somebody run out of conversation topics because they're hungry?"

The one and only Chef Kawasaki and his team of assistant chefs burst into the room with trays upon trays upon trays of meals. Silverware and napkins to the diners were quickly laid out for the diners.

A waddle dee and smaller waddle doo stopped by Captain Doo's seat.

"Hey Stevie! Hey son! What are you doing here."

"Pops! I Heard Dad was gonna help get the dinner ready so I helped out too. Is Kirby here?"

"Right over there."

"Oh boy! Nice to meet you Kirby. I'm Beamie!" The small Doo skipped over to the puff and shook their paw. "This is my Dad, Steviedee, he's a chef. This is Pops, but everyone calls Him Captain! This is so cool! Can we be friends?" The little Doo's eye sparkled in excitement.

King Dedede slapped his hands together at all of the delicious smelling trays before him.

"Mmmm-mmmm! Watcha got Kawasaki?"

"So I've prepared a four in a half star course meal consisting off..."

With every word another lid popped of of the trays.

"Hayashi Rice, Seafood Curry, Heaping Pasta, whimsical Cold fruit pasta, maximum tomato soup and pasta, omelet rice, fiery bread stew, fluffy frying pan pasta, hot piping cheese fondue, Royal Ribs, everything pizza, orange ocean juice, and the final masterpiece to top it all off..."

Two assistant chefs came into the room caving a larger than life cake.

"A five tier chocolate cake in the image of Mt. Dedede, put together with fluffy buttercream. The castle on the top is made with rice cakes." Chef Kawasaki started crying and held his paws to his chest.

"Truly my finest work."

"Don't forget about the candles!" The Beamie Doo was right. Surrounding the castle and leading up to it on the trail of frosting were little firecracker candles. Beamy pulled out a small wand and shot a jolt of sparks onto the them, dazzling the delicious dessert.

The cake's most impressive display captivated the diners. They didn't even want to eat, it was so magnificent.

"This looks amazing Kawasaki!"

"Yeah! That cake looks delicious!"

The kids gave their compliments to the chef as he took them with gratitude.

"Well what are we waiting for? I'm starving!" King Dedede picked up his knife and fork and began to help himself to as much as he could, as did everyone else.

Kirby didn't really experience anything like this before. Their eyes sparkled and their mouth drooled at the monstrously tempting sight. So many delectable options. Pastas, Meats, pizzas, CAKE? The pink puff knew none of it but loved all of it. They wanted it all.

Without a second thought, and with pure instinct, Kirby sucked up all of the food on the table. All of it, including the whole cake, candles and all in one signal breath. 

Every single scrap. Every single piece and morsel on the table was elevated from it's place and flung into Kirby's void of a stomach. Glasses and silverware weren't spared in the event, even the napkins disappeared into the void along with everything else. In the end all that was left was a little bit of table cloth hanging from Kirby's mouth like a tie on a rack. And before that disappeared, Kirby lightly dabbed any sauce or crumbs off of their face, then sucked up the napkin like a noodle. The whole room not dared move as the pink puff smiled happily at everyone else.

King Dedede looked at Kirby beside him as Kirby looked up and did the same. King Dedede pondered for a minute about what exactly he just saw.

"And I thought I ate fast..." He stated in a somewhat cold sweat.

///////////////////

Far away from the castle, away from the dramatics and thrills, a small family of four was preparing to eat a normal sized dinner of baked lamb cutlet with mashed rice and fried vegetables.

Bandee walked through the door and sighed. He called to his mothers in the kitchen, and his sister on the couch.

"Hi Mommy. Hey Momma. Hey Para."

Bandee's mothers were Candee and Mrs. Burtto, the bronto burt. Paradee was his little sister.

"I saw you on TV! You met Kirby!"

"Yeah I did."

"Was he nice?"

"He was very nice."

"What's with the suitcases?"

"They have stories in them. Boring ones without pictures, you wouldn't like them."

"Yuck. Who reads books without pictures in them?" Para made a cringing expression.

Bandee laid the suitcases by the entryway, carefully so as not to cause unnecessary alert.

"Mommy's mad at you." Para stated.

"Of course she is."

"She said you put yourself in danger."

"More than once today."

"More than once?"

"It's a long story."

"Is it fun?"

"Maybe."

"I like fun stories. Tell me!"

Bandee gave a little heartful chuckle. "Why wouldn't I?"

The two siblings were called to the table to have a nice calm meal. Even though Bandee got scolded by his Mother for leaving against her wishes, they still had a lovely dinner. One with stories about cute aliens and the new friend Bandee and Tiff made. He wouldn't tell them about the near crash though, he didn't want to put his Momma into cardiac arrest. That story would be saved for when it was bed time and Para would complain about not being able to sleep without a good bedtime story.

That was for later though. Now it was time for dessert. Candee made apple pie, and apple pie was Bandee's favorite.


	5. Pep and Prep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Dedede has a little surprise for Dream Land after dinner last night. A Dededelightful idea that just cant wait for a countdown to start.

"Alright Kirby! Say Tiff. That's my name."

"Ti...Tiff!"

"Yes Yes! That's good! Now try saying Bandee. That's him over there, with the bag of cookies."

"Hi."

"Can you say his name?"

"Bu-Be...uh...Bandee!"

"Yes that's great!" Tiff cheered. Her attempts at teaching Kirby common Dream Landian language were a success.

"Alright that's 100 words down!" Bandee pulled out a large bag of cookies. "Does that warrant one of these?"

"COOKIES!" That was one of the first Dream Landian words Kirby learned. And it was one of their favorites.

"You heard em, Bandee. Toss one!"

Bandee tossed a big chocolate chip cookie in Kirby's direction, where the puff did not miss the chance to inhale it. The fields outside of Cappy town made for a nice peaceful place to teach Kirby.

Escargoon was gardening and studying the plants in the background. Every time Kirby would get a word right he had to duck and cover the flowers and his sunhat. Kirby's breath could inhale a whole forest that's how strong it was, and just for a little cookie no less.

"Hmph. Maybe you should teach him some basic manners while your at it."

"That's a good idea Escargoon." Tiff stated.

"That was sarcasm-" he knew it was pointless to argue with children. "You know what, never mind."

"Alright Kirby," Tiff started, "Try and say please."

"P-p-peas?"

"Close, but not quite. 'Please,' you say it when you want something." She started tossing out examples. "Like, 'can I please have this' or 'can you please stop being mean? It's usually followed by 'thank you.' Its a nice way of being...well nice."

"Oooooh." Kirby pointed towards Bandee with the bag. "C-Can I pwease have cookies?"

The two other kids looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Whole bag?"

"Whole bag."

Bandee tossed the bag to Kirby, who spared no seconds swallowing said whole bag, paper and all.

"Th-Thank you!"

"It's good to always be nice, Kirby." Tiff stated, patting the puff on the head. "You never want to hurt people."

"Yeah," Bandee chimed in, "Only bad guys hurt others. You always wanna be a good guy."

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Tiff and Bandee started teaching Kirby as many words as they could. Like high and low and new and old and stop and go and hot and cold etc. They even taught Kirby phrases like "I'm sorry," "please forgive me," and "It's ok." After which, they had taught Kirby how to say goodbye. However, just then a solider waddle doo sprang up to Kirby in a hurry, like he had just ran the biggest marathon. It was kind of fitting for what would happen.

"Kirby! Hah...hah..."

"Hey, are you ok?" Bandee asked worriedly. "Do you need to sit down?"

"I...hah...have a message..." The doo almost collapsed. His one eye watery and red with fatigue.

"The king... hah...wants to see Kirby...in...in the Pupupu Town square...I... hah...I think I need water."

Escargoon halted his actions. "Well if his royal highness is planning something I might as well be there to make sure he doesn't hurt himself." The snail scooped up Kirby and pointed to Tiff and Bandee.

"You two make sure that that doo doesn't dehydrate. We don't need a dead solider today."

"Already on it" Tiff stated. She rushed to get water as Bandee stayed to make sure that the solider didn't pass out.

"Bye bye!" Kirby called after their friends.

"Bye Kirby!" Tiff and Bandee responded. They turned back to the doo who suddenly slumped over and passed out.

////////

When Escargoon and Kirby arrived at the town square, a large crowd had noticeably gathered around a notably small stage, and not a fancy one either. King Dedede stood proud on the platform, holing a megaphone and searching the crowd. Behind him was a large sign or some kind of painting covered by a draping that, due to the wet paint seeping through the cloth, was relatively fresh. The town denizens questioned and curiously considered what this event could possibly be about. There were no rumors or buildup to this, so it came as quite the surprise when the king called the abrupt meeting.

"You think its gonna be some type of performance?" Asked Escargoon.

"Mu...maybe?"

Kirby would get used to speaking eventually, Escargoon thought to himself. He just hoped they don't get to vocal.

"Me neither. His Highness will pull stuff like this from time to time, but he'll usually tell me ahead of time though. This must be one of his spur of the moment 'Dededelightful ideas.'"

Once the king spotted Kirby and Escargoon, he shouted HEY into the megaphone, leaped off stage like a majestic ballerina, and picked the two up, carrying them back to the stage.

"Now that the main attraction is here," King Dedede shouted into the megaphone and motioned towards Kirby, still being held by Escargoon, "let me show y'all something."

King Dedede pulled out a king size candy bar and unwrapped it. Then he settled at the opposite end of the stage from Kirby. Once Kirby saw the bar, they hopped down from Escargoon and took a deep breath. The audience ooed and awed as the bar practically vanished in one gulp. To them it seemed as if it was absorbed by some type of black hole. When the display was over, everyone applauded and whistled.

The king strolled over and picked up Kirby.

"If you think that was cool, you should have seen what happened yesterday." King Dedede made overdramatic motions. "It was the wildest thing you'd ever seen! Forks and knives flying through the air. A whole cake gone in one gulp. I didn't even get to finish my food."

"Is that it?" Someone shouted from the audience.

"Yeah I mean it's cool and all," someone else said, "but what's behind the curtain?"

"I was just getting to that! Hush!" The King cleared his throat.

"Now I know we only do this in the fall, but ever since I laid my big ol' eyes on this little ol' ball I knew that I had to challenge em to a..."

Waddle dees playing drums on the sidelines suspensefully tapped as the King yanked down the drapes covering the wet sign that proudly and loudly stated:

GOURMET RACE!!!

King Dedede hollered. "The Gourmet Race Grand Prix!"

The audience gasped. A gourmet race? This early in the year? But we only do that during harvest time. These thoughts swarmed their minds like honeybees. While the townspeople wondered, Tiff and Bandee had made it to the town square.

"Wow! I bet Dedede really got inspired by last night's dinner." Tiff stated.

"Oh man! A gourmet race! And Kirby and King Dedede are contestants." Bandee pumped his paws in the air. "Going up against Kirby and winning would be the king's biggest win yet."

"What makes you think he'll win?" Tiff asked. "After all, Kirby has the upper hand here with that inhaling power of theirs's.

"True, true. But King Dedede is the undefeated champion of gourmet races! He wins every year! There's no way he's giving up his crown!"

"I bet you one thousand apples that Kirby is gonna win this time."

"Nuh-uh! The great King Dedede, the great undefeated gourmet race king, is gonna take home his crown once more." Bandee crossed his arms. "I'll take that bet with me to the grave."

"Oh your on."

The two kids laughed at their friendly little debate as the king turned to address his captivated crowd once more.

"Alright so," he put Kirby down and clapped his hands together, "Me and Escargoon here are gonna head back to the castle as y'all start with those preparations." He waved his royal paw. "See y'all tomorrow."

As they walked off stage to the royal limo they realized it wasn't there.

"Uh...where's The car?"

"I walked here sire I didn't drive here."

"Aw man. So we gotta walk all the way back?"

"Oh wipe those tears off sire," Escargoon elbow nudged Dedede, "it'll prepare you for your win tomorrow."

"Hmph. I was already gonna win."

As the crowd dispersed and King Dedede and Escargoon left, Kirby was reunited with their two friends who gave them warm hugs as greeting.

"Kirby's not even here one day and they're already participating in a major sports even tomorrow." Tiff picked up the puff. "I hope you're excited."

"Yessie!"

"I think that means yes." Bandee chuckled.

Out of the blue, a voice came into the conversation. "I was waiting until Kirby pulled off something like that."

It was Sailor Dee, chipper and excited.

"Hey Sailor" greeted Tiff and Bandee in unison.

"It's funny. We didn't know they could eat like that either until last night." Tiff stated. "It shocked all of us."

"I didn't find out until this morning!" Bandee exclaimed. "It was kind of scary, but in a cool sort of way."

"Cookies!"

"We were teaching Kirby how to speak Dream Landian with the help of cookies. Needless to say, even the bag they came in is gone." Tiff acknowledged.

"They...really like the cookies." Bandee looked at the puff.

"I see that," said Sailor, "they have little crumbs on their face. Oh they're so cute! I didn't get to see you up close, It's nice to meet you." Sailor cooed at the puff and shook their tiny pink paw.

"Hi!"

Sailor giggled and gently patted Kirby on the head. They felt soft and puffy. "Nice to meet you."

"So," they started. "Are you guys going to watch the race that's happening?"

"We made bets on who we thought would win." Tiff looked determined and excited.

"I think it's going to be King Dedede, but Tiff thinks it's going to be Kirby." Bandee stated.

"Even if Dedede wins, which he won't, it's still gonna be pretty fun. Gourmet races are always really fun to watch."

"Oh yeah. That reminds me!" Bandee's excitement started to show ten-fold. "What are you going to make for the race."

"I'm going to make our family's special shortbread. What about you Bandee?"

"I'm thinking Apple pie with ice cream!"

"Wait, you have to make food for the race?" Sailor pondered.

"You've never made food for a gourmet race?" Tiff cocked her head and Kirby copied.

Sailor rubbed their paw behind their head, a bit embarrassed. "I'm..." they whispered, "not from around here. I don't know a lot of the Dream Land customs."

"Sorry about the rambling, but gourmet races. They're awesome!" Bandee waved his paws like a mad man.

"There are three races in the Gourmet Race Grand Prix, each themed around breakfast, lunch, and dinner respectively. The races are held in a nearby area of Dream Land called Gourmet World, named after the races." Tiff chimed, Kirby listened intently in her arms.

"And there's food on the track! Man it smells so good from the sides."

"The races depend on two things. Who is the fastest-"

"And who gets the most food!"

"And whoever's the fastest and eats the most gets the grand prize, a humongous multilayer, multiflavored cake that's almost as big as castle Dedede!"

Kirby drooled as the idea of a giant cake baked in their mind. If the one from last night was any indication, cakes were amazing, especially to Kirby.

"Everyone in Dream Land usually makes a dish to put on the track for the racers." Tiff stated.

Bandee started thinking of all the memorable events from past races. "Oh man, I remember one time Captain Doo ran and tried to eat Kawasaki's signature spicy curry. Man they really did a number on his eye."

"Or that time where my mom ran and almost beat Dedede! She leaped over Kawasaki, snagged two drinks and an ice cream, and lost first place by only three points."

"Didn't you still go out to celebrate?"

"Yeah, we saw it as a major accomplishment."

"Your mom is pretty cool like that.

"Yeah she is."

Sailor interrupted. "I cant believe I've never heard of this before."

"Well now you get to experience it!" Tiff exclaimed.

"Yeah, Sailor! You're gonna love it!"

"Well I'd better go start making sautéed seafood stew then! I'll catch you guys later." The dee waved goodbye.

"Bye Tiff! bye Bandee! Bye Kirby! Good luck tomorrow!"

Kirby waved their tiny pink paw along with their friends. "Bye bye!"


	6. The Grand Prix Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gourmet Race Grand Prix is about to start. King Dedede dedecides that he wants to make an impressionable entrance with Kirby.

The morning was dark and early. Around the dead hours in fact, yet it didn't matter as Kirby couldn't tell time. All they cared about, were the video games Tuff had taught them to play. They sat on the soft green couch of the Ebrum family, playing fun game of Super Marino Kart and downing the family's rammen packs like potato chips. They had no idea what today was. Until that is, when King Dedede quietly barged open the door.

"Hey pinky!"

"Po?"

"yeah you! lets go!"

His royal highness swiped Kirby off of the couch and dragged them down the hallway. King Dedede made sure to quietly close the door of the Ebrum family's residence.

"Big day today kid!"

"huh?"

"Did ya forget? We're racing today!"

"Oh." Kirby did indeed forget.

"Yeah, that's today. And in a few hours." King Dedede huffed towards the throne room as if he had already ran the marathon. 

"You and I are gonna be the main attractions. So we gotta make a grand entrance."

The King halted towards his throne and sat on it's cushions. He tossed Kirby up on the left arm rest. he pressed N.M.E to his right.

"Watch this" the king said, a smile of glee and pride on his face as a large monitor descended from the ceiling.

The violet flat screen flickered for a minute, then flashed on to the image of a man with flashy shades and a suit.

"Hey ho triple-D!" The man had the tone you would expect of some old friend you've known since college.

"Heya, CS! How's the kid?"

"She's doing great, thanks for asking."

"She? I thought you had a boy."

"I never had a son."

Kirby was about to fall asleep amidst all of this adult talk. That is until the king swung his arm around Kirby.

"Speaking of kids and all that, have you heard of this little guy yet? His name's Kirby!"

"What is that?" The man squinted whilst adjusting his glasses. "Oh! You're that alien that everyone's raving about down in your neck of the world." He pointed at the pink puff.

Kirby waved their stubby paws.

"Hai!"

"Aw. Hey there little fella. I'm Customer Service Nightmare. The customer service rep of Nightmare Enterprises.

"And yes my name is Customer Service." He said this with a heavy sigh, as his embarrassment for his own name shown upon his face like wrinkled banner of shame. "Please just refer to me as CS."

"C-Costco Servy." Kirby repeated.

"Uh...sure why not."

CS turned back towards king Dedede.

"So anyway, what can I do for ya triple-D?"

"Well. Since you asked," The King made a little smug cat-like expression. "I'm hosting a Gourmet Race Grand Prix this morning. And I need something that's gonna make a grand entrance. Something flashy! Got anything like that?"

"Hm... something grand and flashy huh? I think we got something." CS pulled out a remote control and pressed one of it's buttons.

A large spiral mechanism emerged from the throne room's center. Pillars started spinning along the outer rims of the large electrical ball acting as it's core. The more it sparked, the faster the spinning pillars, and the more memorized Kirby became.

All of a sudden a large beam of energy shot from the machine, bolted trough the doors, and zoomed to the courtyard at the speed of light itself.

King Dedede and Kirby made no hesitation and ran after the light. Once they made it to the courtyard, they looked up at the huge bright star the light had become. It was like some duo had come down from space. It's gleam illuminated all surfaces, leaving ginormous shadows behind what could cast them.

All of a sudden the light burst to create a new entity. A grand blimp with a widescreen, two firework cannons, and a fearsome face.

The widescreen switched on to show CS once more.

"How is she your highness? Is she as grand and flashy as you'd like?"

The King's eyes lit up, as too did Kirby's. Kirby jumped around and tried to reach the 'obviously way higher then they were' blimp.

"Heck yeah she is! Whatcha call her?"

"We call this rad girl, Kabula. And shell fly you two in style to the grand prix. All for the cheap price of 10,000 dollars!"

King Dedede's jovial expression turned into a sad one .

"Aw come on. You're bleeding me dry!"

"Hey it's a small price to pay for style."

King Dedede looked at Kirby and their joyous little expression. It was just to cute to pass down. Plus Escargoon would probably enjoy the blimp ride too. He sighed, his heart as heavy as his wallet now empty. "I'll take her."

/////////

Last minute preparations where sprinkled onto the field like colorful jimmies on an ice cream Sunday. Pie placements and Linguini locations had been set for fast feasting on the track, as well as many other course meals. Those in the sidelines were tight packed like sardines for the event, surprisingly even more so than the annual autumn date. It was an absolute mob scene. Even the news crew had a hard time at getting good shots of the track. It was a good thing it wasn't flu season.

Off to the sidelines stood Tiff and Bandee with their respective families.

"Where's Kirby and King Dedede?" Asked Bandee with a worried expression.

"I think they're arriving together with Escargoon" said Tiff.

"You think they'll be late?" Asked Para, standing next to her brother.

"Dedede might be late about five or minutes tops." Said Tiff. "He can be pretty lazy."

Tuff chimed in to his sister's response "Ha! Remember when Dedede overslept and delayed the race by an hour?"

Bandee shivered and so did Para. "It was very cold that day..." Bandee stated.

"HEY GUYS!"

The two families turned around to find Sailor running up to them with a plastic bag in their paws, and somehow not out of breath.

The other kids all greeted Sailor Dee in unison, with smiles on their faces and happiness in their nostrils because whatever was in that bag smelled delicious.

"What's in the bag?"

"Tuff that's rude!" Tiff corrected her younger brother.

"Hehe. Its fine. I made these batches for you guys anyway."

Sailor pulled out two large containers of sautéed seafood stew, and gave one to each family.

"It smells delicious." Tiff stated with thanks.

"Thanks. Back home I was kind of a chef. The guys would beg me to make this for dinner instead of whatever boss had made."

"Oh yeah!" Realized Bandee. "You work on the coast. No wonder you can make such a mean stew."

"And good thing you got here when you did," Tiff remarked, "look who just arrived."

Tuff pointed at the sky on a sight that captured every spectator's attention. A large, bright beige blimp with a sharp face and a wide flat screen broadcasting the faces of King Dedede, Escargoon, and Kirby soared above, although Kirby was hogging most of the screen time.

The blimp stopped feet above the starting line, and from it descended an elevator with the fashionably late trio.

"Well that was fun!" Dedede stated as he waved to the crowd."

Escargoon tried his best to swallow his motion sickness. "Yeah....hrg...fun."

Once the platform reached ground level, the three stepped off onto the starting line. Escargoon scurried to the sidelines and into a readily available spectators seat. Complete with a drink, unsalted popcorn, and a brown paper bag so that he didn't have to hide his sickness anymore. He leaned back and cheered.

"Take home another gold your majesty!"

King Dedede laughed at the remark and turned to the starting line where the other contestants waited. He and Kirby Immediately took their places.

"You ready pinky?"

"Pa-yes!"

"Alright!"

Mrs. Burtto flew out to the front of the line. Accompanied by Steviedee who signed to the audience.

"Ladees, gentlecappies, folks, and friends. Welcome to the Gourmet Race Grand Prix!"

The audience cheered like wild animals. They started shaking the fences separating them from the track. One person started foaming at the mouth like a rabid banshee. t 

"We have a wonderful set of runners here, each most determined to take home a full stomach, and a quick win!"

Mrs. Burtto continued as the crowd cheered. "Let's introduce our runners. I would ask you to hold your applause till the end but I know you won't do that."

She read the runners off one by one as the audience hooted and hollered.

"Lets start with Chef Kawasaki, owner of Dream Land's five star restaurant, Kawasaki's."

"Hey that's my restaurant!"

"Up next we have Captain Doo, captain of Dream Land's mightiest soldiers."

Steviedee signed to his husband: You got this hon. Making the captain blush.

"Next up is Lady Like. Wife of the cabinet minister and second place winner from last year."

The Ebrum family went nuts on the sidelines, accompanied by Bandee's family cheers, and Sailor.

"Second to last is our undefeated Gourmet Champion, King Dedede!"

Escargoon jumped up with the enthusiasm coach who was extra encouraging, scaring everyone he was next to.

"LEAVE THEM IN YOUR DUST TRAIL SIRE! PUT THEM ALL TO SHAME LIKE THE PESANTS THEY ARE!"

Mrs. Burtto gave Escargoon a side glare. "Ok...and last but not least, our newest contender. Kirby of the stars!"

The whole crowd cheered for Kirby, chanting their name in mass support.

"Kir-by! Kir-by! Kir-by!"

"Now that we've introduced our runners. Let's go over the rules." Mrs. Burtto continued when she was given some silence. "There are three tracks in this prix: Pumpkin Grand, the breakfast course; Corn Hall, the lunch course; and Onion Garden, the diner course. Whoever eats the most and doesn't come in last for these races will be crowned the Gourmet Champion, and will be gifted the delicious gourmet grand prize desert-"

A drumroll played as an image of a large cake flashed on Kabula.

"A multilayer cake with flavors of triple chocolate fudge, vanilla marble deluxe, red velvet strawberry dream mix, banana sponge with chocolate filling, carrot, and apple delight with ice cream on top! And a cherry. All made by my lovely wife in partnership with chef Kawasaki. Support them. Support my wife and her baking."

The crowd ooed, awed, and drooled.

Beamie Doo darted out on stage, wand in hand. His dads greeted him warmly.

"Let's get this show on the road shall we?" Commented Mrs. Burtto.

She hollered. "Three!"

All of the runners got in sprinting position. Almost all focused forward while King Dedede turned to Kirby.

"Hey kid, don't sweat it that you won't win. I'll share that cake with ya anyway."

Kirby cocked their head in confusion.

"Two!"

"Po-Huh?"

Dedede didn't respond. He was certain he was going to win, just like every other time.

"One!"

Beamie shot a large firework in the air with his wand as both Mrs. Burtto and Steviedee shouted in their different ways.

"GO!"


	7. Gourmet Go! Go!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gourmet Race Grand Prix has begun. Every racer is determined to get their slice of the prize, or should it be said, taking it whole and leaving none for the others. Because they're LOOOOOOSERS! Only one can win. Can the pink puff make it to the third round? Who will be eliminated? It's gonna be one hell of a race, so strap in, grab your paninis, popcorns, and pad thai because the race is about to begin!

The racers took off at lightning speeds as Kirby was left to spin circles in their dust. The kids from the sidelines shouted at them.

"RUN KIRBY! RUN!"

Kirby shook themselves off and took the message. At once they bolted down the course to the quickest dish they could find.

Scrambled spicy eggs, bacon and hash, fruit decorated porridge, and hot fluffy buttered biscuits didn't stand a chance at hiding from the hungry inhale of the pink puff.

The path to victory was long but it was beautiful. If in the autumn the fields would be ripe with bright big pumpkins and crunchy Autumn leaves. But now, in the spring, the nature gave a glistening green hue. Flowing blades of grass like soft silk strands flowed past in the breeze. Bright sweet fruits emerged from shrubbery, acting as décor and edible delights for the racers, and spotlights for the event reflecting the Sun's radiant rays.

Soon enough a competitor was in their sights and who else would it be but Captain Doo. Kirby sprinted towards the doo at a pace only go parts could match. Swiping a plate of savory scrapple and swallowing it whole as if doing something like that wouldn't cause agita. Soon enough were running right next to each other now, contending for their spot in the next lap.

Captain Doo was out of breath.

"I knew you were hungry kid, but I didn't know you were fast."

The doo unsheathed his sword and swooped down a nearby tree, blocking the path and giving the one eyed orb a lead. Captain Doo thought he was in the clear until a dark shadow from above cast over his vision, with the looming scent of pancakes and waffles. Kirby had hopped over the fallen tree and was practically flying over Captain Doo now. Looking up at this majestic display of speed and agility, the captain couldn't see the fence in front.

Thud!

Captain Doo had run face first into the wooden barrier and knocked himself unconscious. A dizzy fall that gave Kirby ample time to make it very far ahead. So far in fact that the first finish line was almost in reach.

Lady Like and King Dedede had already crossed the line, and Kawasaki was just a little ways ahead.

The five star Chef had learned a little trick that involved balancing dishes on his head to help him, although it did throw off his balance. A technique he preformed by busy waiters in his restaurant called: the leaning tower of pizza. Except instead of peperoni and sausage it was breakfast pizzas.

Kirby looked at the tower and didn't think. That stack made them drool like a starving grizzo in a barren forest. Just before Kawasaki could cross the line Kirby inhaled the whole tower and tripped Kawasaki when stealing his place, crossing the line in a moment of victory. Kirby had made it.

"Well that was exciting wasn't it? Let's check the results!"

Kabula flew overhead and on flicked her widescreen. A table showing the contestants food tally had shown off, alongside their placement as they crossed the line. Both Captain Doo and Chef Kawasaki had big red X's over their charts, while King Dedede, Lady Like, and Kirby placed first, second, and third place respectively.

"Well there you have it folks!" Mrs. Burtto addressed the audience. "The racers who will be proceeding to the next round are King Dedede, Lady Like, and Kirby. The ones who won't proceed are Captain Doo, who is currently being treated by the medical staff on standby, and Chef Kawasaki, who had a majority of his plates snagged last second."

"Except for this one!" The Chef pulled out a fruit salad with whip cream and started eating it. "Delicious." 

Mrs. Burtto continued. "Now our racers will take a five minute break."

Once the break started Kawasaki wished the racers good luck and strolled to the nearest hill, enjoying his sweet meal whilst taking in the blue sky and rolling puffy clouds. Kirby apologized and waved to the chef in return, showing good sportsmanship.

Mrs Burtto flew up swiftly next to Kirby, along with the reporter waddle dee and camera dee. Kirby turned around to face the camera after apologizing to Captain Doo. 

"Hey Kirby," she greeted. "I'm Mrs. Burtto, Bandee's Momma. These are my colleges of Chanel PPP news. Say hi to the camera."

"Hai!" Kirby waved their itty bitty paw.

The reporter dee alongside Mrs. Burtto spoke to the puff.

"Hey Kirby! I'm Repordee of Chanel PPP. The viewers really want to know how you feel about all of this. I mean, you just came here three days ago, and now your a contender in one of the biggest events Dream Land has to offer. So what do you think of your situation?"

Repordee held out his microphone in front of Kirby, but the puff didn't know how to answer. They kept stuttering over and over again in a confused tone. Eventually they just said "I don't know" and bit the microphone. 

Repordee slowly pulled back his microphone.

"Interesting..." He turned to the camera. "Well we'll check back with Kirby when the prix finishes."

Mrs. Burtto and the other news dees left. Lady Like had arrived in their place though, a familiar face Kirby was happy to see.

"Ah, Kirby," Lady Like greeted with a smile on her face, "how are you?"

"Good." They answered the lady with a smile.

"Oh that's lovely. How do you like Dream Land's lifestyle so far? Isn't this race fun?"

Kirby shook their head. "Yessie!"

Lady Like let out a little giggle and kneeled down to Kirby's level.

"These races are always so fun. I've been doing them for so long and I've recently managed to snag second place. I'm hoping this time I can finally beat King Dedede."

"Hang it up Miss Lady."

Kind Dedede had emerged from behind the two.

"You know you can't beat the champ."

"I've been winning these races since they started and I ain't about to loose now. Besides, I gotta show the little guy here I ain't no wimpy who can't hold his appetite."

King Dedede gave a hearty laugh, prompting Lady Like to joke back. "Someone's going to come for your crown one of these days your majesty."

"You doubting me Lady?"

"Perhaps." Lady Like giggled and motioned to Kirby. "Maybe Kirby will be the one to take you down. After all, only two people can make it to the next round. And if I can't do it, then they most certainly can."

"Hah! We'll see about that. Hey pinky!"

The king leaned down to Kirby's starry blue eyes. He gave the puff a most determined statement.

"You may be cute but you ain't no king like me."

Unlike the days prior, the king of Dream Land seemed very serious. The assumption was that it was just competitive talk but the tone in King Dedede's voice shook the puff just a little bit.

Mrs. Burtto called for the racers to line up again. It was time for the second lap, this time on a different terrain.

The racers got into place.

"Three! Two! One!"

A pause.

"GO!"

This time Kirby knew what to do. They sprinted far faster than anyone else of the competition.

BLT's, hoagies, sizzling kabobs, pizza rolls, pep brew, chicken nuggets, several sides of fries, milkshakes to dip those fries in, hot n' spicy rammen cups, Papaya salad, even those store bought packed lunches that come with the chocolate bars. These dishes were almost to easy to snag, and yummy to boot. Kirby had no trouble jumping over the large rocks and boulders that littered every inch of Corn Hall to get them. In fact, due to the narrow passageways created by the towering rock formations, there was only so many places to place dishes. The only thing that made racing a little difficult was the fact that the giant rocks looked like large cinnamon buns. Kirby even ate a couple of those in their inhaling.

But Kirby's speedy position was short lived, as King Dedede and Lady Like gained up on them closer and closer. The puff kept running though. Running and running until their tiny little legs gave out, which they never seemed to do.

The three racers came to a climatic head where they were all side by side of each other. Their speed was unmatched amongst themselves, and their appetite was of equal strength. A bridge crossing from one canyon to the next was the only thing in their path that could possibly stop them, and that it did. As all three weights topped the wooden planks, the bridge started to rumble until it gave out and one side of it detached from the rocks.

King Dedede had been able to jump to the other side, but Kirby and Lady Like were stuck clinging on to the once standing planks.

The king looked down and saw that they were alright. Then looked back at the track. He was sweating thinking about what he should do, but came to a quick conclusion that the other two would maybe be ok and sprinted for the finish line, leaving Lady Like and Kirby in his dust.

"He's very competitive at the worst times!" Lady Like was struggling. "Can't he see that a lady is in need of assistance?"

Kirby was able to climb up the bridge a little bit and offered Lady Like some assistance.

"Thank you Kirby."

The two climbed up the wooden planks, making sure not to look down at the great chasm below. Using teamwork, the racers had made it up the cliff in no time. Once they were up on the track again Kirby began to sprint, but stopped when they heard Lady Like yell in pain.

"Yowch!"

Kirby ran back over to see that the lady had twisted her leg when climbing and couldn't run anymore. So they did only what they thought was right, help her until they both crossed the line.

The pink puff, though small, did everything to help Lady Like cross the finish line, even pointing out foods to her, although they still found foods just for them. After a while, they finally crossed the finish line, on which King Dedede was already waiting.

He asked Lady Like about her leg, but she scoffed at him. Even when he gave an apology and an excuse, Lady Like still didn't forgive him. She did crack a joke though about how she gets it and that it was "a sporting event after all" and that there could only be one winner. A medical assistant from the sidelines escorted Lady Like to a near by bench, where Captain Doo was also stationed, and tended Lady Like to her injuries.

Mrs. Burtto and Steve once again appeared, the news crew by them and Kabula above.

"Alright," she started, "Let's check out those scores!"

Kabula' s monitor flicked on to reveal the scores for each contestant. The numbers flicked and passed to reveal King Dedede and Kirby in a dead tie, and for Lady Like to be placed under them in score, eliminating her from the competition. Not that she wasn't already going to sit the next lap out.

"Wow would you look at that!"

The stands beside the starting line went crazy as they did. But this time there was more anticipation. Ties meant more competition, and more competition meant higher stakes in the final lap, and higher stakes meant higher meats that were difficult to reach that looked oh so delicious and smelled heavenly with that smoked chili Applewood seasoning.

This last lap would be the ultimate course. The race to win it all, and to take home the greatest cake in all of Dreamland, nay, Popstar.

Mrs. Burtto spoke as Stevie signed. The cameras zoomed in as the suspenseful announcement was given.

"Alright racers. This is your final course, the dinner course. Onion Garden!"

The announcers directed all attention to the massive obstacle course the king and puff would be put through.

"This course will test your limits both internal and external. There is more platforming and jumping, and as you can see, high drops."

That was no joke. Onion Garden was suspended high in the air. So high it almost seemed to pierce the clouds. The garden walls draped with luteous vines from their ancient crevasses, and larger then life bells tolled in the wind. Well, larger then the average individual at least, which was roughly 8-12 inches.

"It will be difficult, but determination is key. Are you ready?"

Kind Dedede and Kirby took their places.

"Three!"

"You're really good kid. Y'know that?" King Dedede turned to Kirby.

"Two!"

"But I'm still the king. And nobody beats the king! Don't care how good you are."

"One!"

"I'm winning. You ain't taking this crown."

Kirby responded playfully, ignoring any sinister vibes the king flushed on them.

"We see, Dedede."

"GO!"


End file.
